Each year, a panel from Leeds Conservatoire awards The Libby Raper Elevate Award in Music Production. This award seeks to promote and celebrate the achievements of women (including trans women) and non-binary individuals. Those awarded are positive role models who inspire, support and empower their peers to succeed. We spoke to this year's winner, BA (Hons) Music (Production) graduate, Elysha Clay (Leasha C) about her achievements, her time at Leeds Conservatoire and the importance of supporting all women and non-binary individuals in the industry.
Congratulations on winning The Libby Raper Elevate Award in Music Production, what does this achievement mean to you?
This achievement was incredibly exciting and overwhelming all at once. To know that I’d been nominated by those I admire and respect, and that my dedication and effort had been noted and awarded, was a very proud moment in my personal and professional life.
We are thrilled to hear that you are starting your master’s degree at Leeds Conservatoire. What do you think it is that makes the conservatoire so special?
Leeds is a buzzing hive of creativity, so to live and study among such incredible artistic variety and diverse culture is a privilege. The conservatoire itself has a unique energy, one that I think you’d be hard pushed to find anywhere else, especially in an educational institution. I’d describe the conservatoire as a fresh breath of air in a taxing industry.
From organising show cases to representing the student body in interview panels, it’s lovely that you’ve been so involved with Leeds Conservatoire. Is there anything in particular that stands out the most?
There have been so many experiences that I have been fortunate to participate in. I’d say that interviewing Andrew Scheps, and the F-List panel were two immense moments that spring to mind. Conversing with such humble professionals, offering gems of reflection, experiences and advice was profoundly insightful. Stage Managing the 2022 Production Showcase was similarly great fun; I was very lucky that the Music Production cohort are so fabulous. In July, I was also blessed with the opportunity to represent the University at the Gus Dudgeon Foundation x James 2022 Summer School with Ken Scott, which was the perfect end to an unforgettable 3 years on the Music Production Undergraduate degree.
You’ve recently released your first EP, well done! Can you tell us a bit about it and your influences?
Absolutely! My debut, self-produced EP titled ‘Kill To Be Kind’ was released over a month ago now under my artist name Leasha C, and it’s doing really well! I am still stunned by the overwhelming support and positive reaction to my music; the thoughtful words and my audience’s visceral responses are things I’ll cherish when remembering my first ever professional release.
I am inspired by the greats and contemporary artists alike; Bowie, Eva Cassidy, Nightwish, Fleetwood Mac, Jacob Collier, Low Roar, Queens of the Stone Age, Kate Bush, Björk, Bon Iver, Amy Winehouse, Adele, etc. Often, this smorgasbord of creative influences isn’t overtly evident in my music, but I always find the links in my mind.
On a local scale, I am constantly inspired by those around me; my friends, classmates; and those who teach me; my lecturers and course leaders, who kept me grounded, motivated and curious throughout my Undergrad and now into my Postgrad, with their generous guidance.
My parents, siblings and partner are my biggest influences, and I couldn’t have completed this degree, let alone this release, without them. I’m unbelievably blessed to have such fabulous people in my life supporting and encouraging me onwards.
So, whilst I’d change things here and there, I know this EP release reflects a significant moment in my life, and I’m content, in the knowledge that my artistry and production style is ever evolving.
What was it that inspired you to start a career as a producer?
Despite having experienced, composed, performed, and recorded music from a young age, the decision to study a creative subject at university was one I made late in the UCAS application process. However, when I attended an open day at Leeds College of Music (as it was known at the time), no word of a lie, I instantly felt a connection to the place and applied that evening, with BA (Hons) Music Production as my first choice. The course talk had tapped into some things I hadn’t previously considered; firstly, that music production was an option available to me; as a composer, songwriter, and woman; and secondly, that in following my true passion, I had the potential to be financially stable, professionally fulfilled and personally successful.
This was the first huge step in beginning my career as a producer, a step that I’m grateful I had the opportunity to pursue in such a welcoming environment.
Why is it important we celebrate and support the achievements of women and non-binary individuals in the music industry?
Prejudice comes in so many forms: misogyny, transphobia, weaponised biological determinism, gender profiling, or blatant discrimination, which can be seen for instance, as companies scramble to be viewed as actively inclusive, recruiting individuals simply because of their sex or gender, to fill a statistic.
As minorities across most sectors of the industry, it is vital that we celebrate the hard-earned achievements of female-identifying and non-binary people, not only to commend the individual for their dedication and successes, but to support awareness of gender disparity and inequality that plagues the creative industries.
Being part of a minority group, an underrepresented community in this widely discriminative society, implies an inherent responsibility to represent the collective, and hold society accountable for their actions. Therefore, each success should be acknowledged, and the individual applauded for their respected efforts, working tirelessly in a biased industry.
Do you have any non-binary or female music producers who you look up to or have inspired you in any way?
TOKiMONSTA is an insanely talented artist whose personal story has always stuck with me. Mental and physical resilience through struggles both internal and professional, and her persistence in the face of adversity has inspired me since I began delving into her work. I admire not only her willpower, but her unique ability to breathe infectious energy into her music and performances; it’s an approach I hope to absorb.
SOPHIE is another producer whose music struck a chord with me, with her unapologetic vigour and divine artistry. Her debut album “Oil Of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides” details experiences dealing with questions of identity, which are expressed both eloquently and shamelessly abrupt, a juxtaposition which I love.
Both these artists are also renowned for being social activists. TOKI is a trailblazer for women in EDM, fighting for equality in the scene since 2009. In life and death, SOPHIE has had an incredibly profound impact on Trans rights and in experimental music, with her brash outlook, she was an influential advocate for change.
